Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Biological Control of Aphids on Winter Cereals by Parasitoids in South America

• Published in: Neotropical entomology 2023-04, Vol.52 (2), p.172-188
• Main Authors: Lau, Douglas, Sampaio, Marcus Vinicius, Salvadori, José Roberto, da Silva Pereira, Paulo Roberto Valle, dos Santos, Carlos Diego Ribeiro, Engel, Eduardo, Panizzi, Antônio Ricardo, Marsaro Júnior, Alberto Luiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animals; Aphids; Biological Control in Latin America; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil; Crops, Agricultural; Edible Grain; Entomology; Life Sciences; Pest Control, Biological; Triticum
• ISSN: 1519-566X; 1678-8052; 1678-8052
• DOI: 10.1007/s13744-022-01013-1

Aphids are worldwide pests, and in South America, they harm many crops including winter cereals. In the 1970s, the rapid expansion of the wheat crop area in the subtropical region of South America led to growth of aphid populations. The wide availability of food, associated with the low effectiveness of natural biological control, put the aphid populations out of balance, requiring intensive use of insecticides. At the end of the decade, biological control programs of aphids were initiated in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, including the importation of natural enemies (mainly parasitoids), followed by their laboratory rearing and field release. With decreased use of highly hazardous pesticides, biological control by introduced and already-present parasitoid species was enhanced. The program was very successful and aphid populations have been kept at low levels. This review article explores the history of this program and its current status. In modern day agriculture, with intense multiple cropping systems, adoption of several conservation practices, and increased cultivation of wheat in tropical regions, we discuss ways to keep this program effective to maintain aphid populations on cereal crops at low acceptable levels through employing biological control agents.